On Top of Spaghetti

Lyrics

On top of spaghetti all covered with cheese.
I lost my poor meatball when somebody sneezed.

It rolled off the table, it rolled on the floor,
And then my poor meatball rolled out of the door.

It rolled in the garden and under a bush,
And then my poor meatball was nothing but mush.

The mush was as tasty as tasty could be,
And early next summer it grew to a tree.

The tree was all covered with beautiful moss.
It grew great big meatballs and tomato sauce.

So if you eat spaghetti all covered with cheese,
Hold on to your meatball and don't ever sneeze.

This song was originally posted at:http://bussongs.com/songs/on-top-of-spaghetti.php

Information About On Top of Spaghetti

The origins of "On Top of Spaghetti" date back to 1963 when a folk singer, Tom Glazer performed with It is a ballad tune that provides a funny story for children. It is sung to the tune of "On Top of Old Smokey".

It tells a tale of a meatball that was sneezed off the pile of spaghetti and then rolled out the door and into the garden.

"On Top of Spaghetti" was written in 1963 by folk singer Tom Glazer. This parody ballad and children's song was to become his biggest hit. The song is sung to the tune of the traditional folk song "On Top of Old Smokey" and well as the do-re-mi melody.

Alternative Lyrics & Related Songs

A variation that skiiers sometimes sing

On top of Mount something
All covered with snow
I lost my poor ski pole
for going to slow.

Here's an original version submitted by a fan who wrote it himself!

On top of Spaghetti, all covered with cheese.
I lost my poor meatball, when somebody sneezed.
It rolled off the table and on to the floor.
And then my poor meatball, rolled right out the door.
It rolled down the stairway, bounced down every stair.
Past our lazy hound dog, and the old rocking chair.
It rolled down the alley, into a drain-pipe it fell.
Then down to the river, in-to a clam-shell.
That clam didn't like it, so it spit it out,
right onto the back of a big rainbow trout.
It frightened that old fish, out of the water it jumped,
and threw my poor meatball, on an old horse's rump
That horse started bucking, and with one giant kick.
My meatball went flying, back into our at-tic.
It bounced down the heater vent, and out of the grate,
and then that darned meatball, landed square on my plate.
No one would believe me, I lied, they all said.
"Finish you dinner, or go straight to bed".
So I took a small taste, what else could I do?
I can't say I liked it, well, it tasted like poo.
So when no one was lookin', and no one was on guard,
I threw it out the window, and into a yard.
I thought it was over, no more meatballs for me.
But then the next summer, it grew into a tree.
The tree was gigantic, a hundred feet across.
And on it grew meatballs, all covered with sauce.
So if you have spaghetti, all covered with cheese.
Hold on to your meatballs, 'cause someone might sneeze.

This is a shorter version that ends with the meatball ending in a splat on the street

On top of spaghetti all covered with cheese
I lost my poor meatball when somebody sneezed,
it rolled off the table and onto the floor,
and then my poor meatball it rolled out the door,
it rolled down the sidewalk, and onto the street.
Splat!
and now my poor meatball, is nothing but meat.

If you're trying to teach a little child, this 2 line version is great.

spaghetti and meatballs all covered with cheese,
I lost my poor meatball when somebody sneezed.

This version is a little snarky and uses a brain theme, but cooler for older kids

Listen to this song's music

88 Comments

Josie horvath, Canada

I don't know why it says originated in 1967. I used to sing this song when I was very young, ten yrs old or less. That would be around 1957 or earlier.

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Alpha Skua, USA

24 April 2015 at 12:02am

Done the THE TOP of OLD SMOKEY

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Sophia, United States

23 April 2015 at 10:48pm

This version is for all of you who cried as a kid on Santa's lap:
On top of a snow caped icy hill
that really had an weary chill
all covered in red
I shot Mr.Santa
cause I found him, spying in my bed
next to the chimny
I made sure he was dead
He knew I wasn't sleep'n
But I have to tell ya that fatso is creep'n
he abused poor rudoff
made his nose gush with blood
So I t Mr.Santa
in a pile of crud
so next time he tries
to give me coal
I surly will kill him
that fat old troll

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lisy, earth

31 July 2014 at 1:17pm

there is a Calvin and Hobbes comic with this song!

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Chloe, Canada

26 July 2014 at 11:51pm

This is a nice song for a camp.

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Carrie, United States

20 February 2014 at 3:49am

The original of this song began .. On top of old Smokey, all covered with snow, I lost my true lover for courtin' too slow. Don't remember the rest of it. It was about the Great Smokey Mountains.

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Sashiipoo, Australia

14 September 2013 at 7:43am

My version goes
On top of spaghetti all covered in cheese
I lost my poor meat ball when somebody sneezed
It rolled down the table and on to the floor
And then my poor meatball rolled out the front door.
It rolled down the side walk and into A bush and then my poor meatball was nothing but mush
The very next summer it grew to a tree
And on it grew meatballs all covered in cheese!

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Yup, United States

8 February 2013 at 11:33pm

My older sisters used sing the variation of this song to me when I was little and it always made me cry cause the meatball died at the end :c

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Kate, Ireland

7 October 2012 at 7:15pm

When you click on the video it says "On Top of Spagetti" by Olivia Gissing.But I don't know for sure she wrote it. Hope this was helpful!

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Kate, Ireland

7 October 2012 at 7:09pm

Great song-love the brain version! I laughed when I heard it!

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Vixen, United States

3 October 2012 at 2:37am

I remember this song from when I was a kid. I'm 24 now, so finding it is a real laugh. Of course, my favorite version was always 'On top of spaghetti, all covered with blood, I shot poor Barney, with a 44 stud. He rolled out the door and into a store, he rolled through the aisles and out the back door. I went to the army, but he wasn't quite dead, so I took a bazooka, a shot off his head. I went to his funeral, I went to his grave. Everybody threw flowers, but I threw a grenade.' I also heard is with 'teacher' instead of 'Barney' on several occasions. Either way, it was always a hoot... at least, as long as the teacher was one of those really mean mile long pole up the ass people.

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Morven, United Kingdom

19 March 2012 at 4:28pm

I first sang a variation of this song when I was at Brownies. I loved it (well, I still do), and always pestered one of the leaders to let us sing it. The variation I sang didn't have the last three paragraphs, but instead just one: Several years later, a meatball tree grew, And now there are meatballs, for me and for you.

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Hillbilly Jo, Bhutan

4 March 2012 at 2:41am

ME and My friends have been having a real good time singing meatballs and spaghitti and what not

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Poop Me, Argentina

4 March 2012 at 2:38am

i like singing it in a FAKE country accent

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Aaron B, United States

24 January 2012 at 6:24am

But i love these songs

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Aaron B, United States

24 January 2012 at 6:24am

i lost my poor braincells :(

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Op, China

23 January 2012 at 6:11pm

cool

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Dee, United States

2 January 2012 at 1:39am

Seniors loved it at the Assisted Living Facility I volunteer for. They were singing it going into the dining hall! I hope they were not having spaghetti and meatballs for lunch! :-)

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Dana, Bangladesh

30 December 2011 at 2:01am

how do you enter your own country? im stuck with bangledesh

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Aiza, Pakistan

29 November 2011 at 3:30pm

i love this poem!I 'm presenting this poem in my poetry recitation competition